‘Jordanian delegation to visit Tunisia next month’

AMMAN — Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) President Issa Murad on Tuesday said the chamber will organise an official visit for a "huge" Jordanian economic delegation to visit Tunisia next month in cooperation with chambers of commerce in Tunis, Sousse and Sfax, according to an ACC statement. 

In the statement, Murad described bilateral relations as historic and deep, expressing hope that the recent visit of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi to the Kingdom will bring a new phase of bilateral economic and commercial cooperation. 

The delegation will discuss developing relations between the business community in the two countries, establishing commercial and investment partnerships and expanding commercial exchange. 

The ACC president referred to several recommendations to develop commercial relations, including intensifying communication and joint work through exchanging legislation as well as economic and investment brochures to bring forward available opportunities for both sides and clarify the demands and conditions imposed on the entry of goods to their markets. 

He urged encouraging the exchange of investments in the commercial, production, service and financial sectors, considering that a basic way to encourage the exchange of goods and services.

He encouraged using regional and international agreements that Jordan is a signatory to because they bring "huge" investment and exporting opportunities for Jordanian commercial partners. Moreover, he advocated promoting those opportunities to companies in Tunisia. 

The importance of enhancing the role of diplomatic commissions in Jordan and Tunisia was highlighted by Murad, who stressed also the importance of promoting national products, resources and economic capabilities available to both countries and encourage the activities of the private sector to cooperate in the field of joint investment as well as sending economic delegations on the private and public levels. 

Murad stressed the importance of holding exhibitions to bring promote products of the two countries as well as establish regular transport lines between them to reduce costs and durations and benefit from the Agadir Agreement between Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia to enhance exporting chances from Jordan and Tunisia to the European market. 

He said there are many economic and commercial agreements with the most important one being the Grand Arab Free Trade Zone Agreement, in addition to agreements that connect the private sector in both countries, including the one signed between the ACC and the industry and commerce chambers in Tunis, Sousse and Sfax. 

Murad called for enhancing bilateral meetings between the commissions of the private and public sectors and their representatives of traders, industrialists, and businesspeople, voicing his chamber's readiness to offer full logistic support to any Tunisian economic party that sends commercial delegations to Jordan. 

Jordan has many productions and goods that meet the demands of the Tunisian market like medicine, phosphate, fertilisers, potash, and Dead Sea salts and products, Murad said, adding that the Kingdom's exports to Tunisia stood at around JD8 million during the past eight months whereas imports stood at JD4 million.